


Happy Birthday, Roman

by patchworkofstars



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Thomas Sanders
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-18 07:42:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14848563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patchworkofstars/pseuds/patchworkofstars
Summary: Having given him pasta for Christmas, Patton tries to come up with a different gift for Roman’s birthday.





	Happy Birthday, Roman

Patton sat in his room, one thought alone occupying his mind. What should he give Roman for his birthday? What gift could possibly be of value to someone who could conjure almost anything he wanted out of thin air? Of course, there was always food. Roman had never been able to produce anything to rival Patton’s home cooking, filled as it was with his own magic of love.

But… He’d given the prince food for Christmas, and he’d been so obviously disappointed when Patton held out the tub of pasta. Sure, he’d enjoyed eating it – he always loved Patton’s cooking – but he’d barely seen it as an acceptable gift then and certainly wouldn’t this time.

Birthdays are special, after all. The anniversary of someone’s first appearance in the world, a day to celebrate their life and show them just how much they mean to you. And with recent disappointments still fresh in his memory, Roman would need more than ever to be showered with attention on his special day. His gift needed to be thoughtful, heartfelt, and _lasting_.

But what?

Patton flopped back onto his bed and gazed at the ceiling, playing absently with the paws of his cat hoodie. A card wouldn’t do. Roman wouldn’t feel it was enough, Virgil might not like cards no longer being something exclusive to him and Patton, and Logan might resent being the only one left without one. They might not admit to it, any of them, but it was important to Patton to safeguard their emotional well-being.

What else did Roman like that Patton could make, besides food? He loved heroes, Disney, romance, music, theatre, poetry… 

Poetry?

Patton sat up abruptly, pausing to let the headrush pass and then turning to swing his legs over the side of the bed. His desk was cluttered with photos and trinkets, but he managed to find some powder blue notepaper that hadn’t been used and a pen that worked after a few test scribbles. Clearing a space on his bedside table, he settled down to write.

He sat, pen poised hovering over the paper, tongue held between his front teeth and a frown of concentration on his face. Finally, words formed in his mind and he began to write.

> Roman, you are really great  
>  And also very far from straight

He hesitated. He wasn’t sure how to continue, and reading back over it he had to admit it wasn’t as good as he’d hoped. Apparently writing poetry was harder than it looked. Still, Virgil and Logan both wrote poetry sometimes, as well as Roman, so it must be possible for him, right? Biting his lip, he tried again.

> There once was a young prince named Roman  
>  A side with the soul of a showman  
>  A creator of dreams  
>  And fantastical schemes  
>  When he's here, it's always a good omen

He frowned appraisingly at it and wrinkled his nose. It was certainly better than his first attempt, but a limerick wasn’t really Roman’s style, and if he was honest it still lacked the sort of depth of feeling he associated with good poetry. It needed more emotion. Good thing he was just the side for that! He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, picturing Roman and trying to summon all the love and sentiment he held for the other side. He let it flow through him, filling his heart with red, white, and gold. With laughter, confidence, bursts of song, lively eyebrows, expressive shoulders, sweeping gestures, courage, generosity… Slowly he exhaled, trying to find the words to express what he felt. Putting pen to paper, he started writing once more. 

*****

He read the finished verses and smiled to himself. It didn’t rhyme like he thought poems were supposed to, and the lines weren’t even a consistent length, but it had heart, that was for sure. He rooted through his desk until he found a fancy fountain pen Thomas had once been given as a gift. After spending a few minutes practising with it, he took a fresh piece of paper, free from the scribbles and corrections of the first draft, and settled down to write his poem out in neat.

*****

Roman’s birthday party was an extravagantly festive occasion. He had created himself a throne to sit on, all gold with red velvet, and he would have worn full ceremonial regalia had the June heat of Florida not precluded it. Instead, he wore his usual outfit with the addition of a stylish crown and a rainbow cape. It was pride month, after all, and Roman was _very_ proud.

The food was equally lavish, with a cake designed to look like a fairytale castle and an eclectic array of colourful and dubiously healthy snack foods, planned and prepared by Roman and Patton together.

Patton was nervous. He hid it well, busying himself encouraging Virgil to try a wider variety of the foods on offer and Logan to humour Roman's choices in party games. Nevertheless, as the time for gift giving drew nearer, he found himself flexing his fingers and fidgeting nervously, his smiles and laughter becoming increasingly forced. 

What if Roman didn’t like the poem? He should have come up with a backup gift in case the prince was disappointed at getting nothing but words, awkwardly strung together by a side unaccustomed to writing.

Still, the minutes ticked by. Patton’s attempt to delay the inevitable by suggesting a game of charades was met with groans of horror from Logan and Virgil, and even Roman had finally grown impatient.

“Enough playing games”, he cried, almost vibrating with excitement, “It’s time for my gifts! I can’t wait to see what you’ve all got me!”

Patton took a deep breath, wiping his sweating hands on his trousers as the others retrieved their presents. Roman and Logan were oblivious, but Virgil kept casting worried looks his way, seemingly picking up on his anxiety. He smiled back, forcing himself to meet his friend's gaze, and could _feel_ the concern directed his way.

Thankfully Logan handing over his gift provided a welcome distraction. Roman enthused over the set of notebooks, each one embossed with a quotation from Shakespeare. It was a thoughtful and appropriate gift, and Patton felt unpleasantly light-headed at the stark contrast with his own present. He inched his way sideways to the couch and sat down, taking a sip of Gatorade that did little to ease his dry mouth.

Virgil's turn. Roman clapped his hands and grinned broadly, then frowned as the anxious side handed him a plain-looking box. But as he lifted the lid, his expression changed and he gasped aloud. Inside was eyeshadow in a glittering, shimmering rainbow of shades. He raised his head and gaped at Virgil, his "Thank you!" shocked and heartfelt. The emo shrugged and looked away, a faint pink blush appearing under his white foundation and one corner of his mouth twitching into a reluctant smile.

Patton’s heart lifted, full of joy at them having become such good friends, then sank once more when all three of the others turned to look at him.

“A gift is a gift, right?” he said, his tone too bright and bordering on desperation as he plastered a smile onto his face.

“Yeah, and Patton already made most of the food”, Virgil added, ready to protect his friend even though he wasn’t sure what was wrong.

“Oh”, said Roman, his face falling. “Well… I guess that’s true. You might have got me _something_ , though.”

“I do have a gift for you”, Patton quickly assured him, it’s just that these guys’ gifts are so perfect I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

Roman straightened his back and relaxed. “Well in that case, hand it over!” he said cheerfully. “I’m sure I’ll like it. After all, even that pasta you gave me at Christmas was delicious!”

Patton took a deep breath. Might as well get this over with. He summoned a sealed envelope and handed it to the prince. Roman frowned at him in confusion.

“I wrote you a poem”, he explained. “I know it’s not as good as _your_ writing, but I did my best and I hope you like it.”

“You wrote me a poem?!” Roman fumbled eagerly with the envelope, pulling out the blue notepaper and unfolding it quickly. His eyes rapidly scanned the first couple of verses, then flicked back to read them again more slowly.

When he reached the end there was a beat of silence, a brief vacuum before a high-pitched sound began in his throat and rose in pitch as he reread the whole thing. Then he thrust the page onto the nearest free surface and enveloped Patton in a tight hug.

“You mean it?” he asked, his voice muffled since his face was still buried in Patton’s shoulder.

“Of course, kiddo! I couldn’t have written it if I didn’t feel it!”

Virgil looked at Logan, eyebrows raised, and the logical side picked up the discarded paper. With Roman and Patton still hugging, the two began to read.

> You are Passion -  
>  Warm affection and blazing anger  
>  Both are held within you
> 
> You are Hope -  
>  The strength to keep on striving  
>  When everything seems lost
> 
> You are Dreams -  
>  Building a vision of the future,  
>  A light to guide our way
> 
> You are Courage -  
>  The spirit of adventure and  
>  The guts to see it through
> 
> You are Romance -  
>  A heart filled with glamour and excitement,  
>  Ready to fight for love
> 
> You are Creativity -  
>  Artistry and imagination,  
>  And inspiration’s spark
> 
> You are Roman -  
>  A friend who brightens our days,  
>  And our beloved prince


End file.
